Society
Fix it, America
Fix it, America by David Benjamin “Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.” — Samuel Johnson MADISON, Wis. — Sam Johnson’s observation on the nature of knowledge keeps coming back to me, sometimes unexpectedly. The latest occasion was a comment by Paul…
Read MoreFranco lives
Franco lives by David Benjamin “We do not believe in government through the voting booth. The Spanish national will was never freely expressed through the ballot box. Spain has no foolish dreams.” ― Generalissimo Francisco Franco BARCELONA — Every time I come back to Spain, I get this vague inkling of a nation teetering perpetually…
Read MoreTo drive or not to drive
To drive or not to drive by David Benjamin “… Went around a corner and I passed a truck I whispered a prayer just for luck Fenders was clicking the guardrail posts The guys beside me were white as a ghost…” — Charlie Ryan, “Hot Rod Lincoln” MADISON, Wis. — My mother was a debutante…
Read MoreDaddy-O meets Quentin Tarantino
Daddy-O meets Quentin Tarantino by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — Guns are the thing. As the latest massacre reports trickle in, we’re beginning to grasp the disturbing banality of Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik. Yes, Tashfeen grew up in a hotbed of Muslim fundamentalism in Pakistan and pledged her troth, before pulling the trigger, to…
Read MoreThe Muslim plank
The Muslim plank by David Benjamin “I said the wall, and I was referring to the wall, but database is okay, and watch list is okay, and surveillance is okay… I want surveillance of these people that are coming in — the Trojan Horse — I want to know who the hell they are ……
Read MoreWhen cool was still cool
When cool was still cool by David Benjamin “Bond is important: this invincible superman that every man would like to copy, that every woman would like to conquer, this dream we all have of survival. And then one can’t help liking him…” — Sean Connery MADISON, Wis. — With every release of a new James…
Read MoreDo-gooders from Hell
Do-gooders from Hell by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — In my childhood hometown of Tomah, Wisconsin, two quietly grand old buildings have survived the march of development. One is the library, underwritten by Andrew Carnegie and designed by one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s more tasteful disciples. The other is the VA Hospital, built of stolid…
Read MoreThis country is condemned
This country is condemned by David Benjamin MADISON, Wis. — When I was twelve, the apartment I shared with Mom, my sister and my brother was condemned — officially — by the town’s building inspector. We were in the rear unit above the S&Q Hardware on Superior Avenue, and people weren’t supposed to be living…
Read MoreGod's great afterthought
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#734) God’s great afterthought by David Benjamin “…the unborn, though enclosed in the womb of his mother, is already a human being, and it is an almost monstrous crime to rob it of life which it has not yet begun to enjoy. If it seems more horrible to…
Read MoreInternet zombies
MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2015 The Weekly Screed (#733) Internet zombies by David Benjamin “Yea, thou [sic] I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/ 95,000 Americans killed by illegal aliens since 9-11.” — Americans for Legal Immigration PAC MADISON, Wis. — Good old Homer has cut me off. This is a shame, because…
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